Safety
One of our district's missions is to ensure a safe learning environment for every student in Winston County Schools. The safety of our students, educators, parents, families, and community members has always been, and remains, a top priority. Given recent national incidents of school violence, concerns about student safety continue to grow. In the event of a crisis, natural disaster, or severe weather, parents and stakeholders can be confident that the safety and security of our students are paramount. Effective instruction becomes challenging when an environment is perceived as unsafe. While students are under our care, their safety takes precedence over everything, including their education.
Each year, Winston County Schools reviews and updates our Emergency Operations Procedures (EOP), which provide faculty, staff, and administrators with detailed instructions on how to respond to a variety of situations. These procedures are reinforced through annual safety and security training for all employees, and we conduct regular emergency response drills to improve our readiness. We collaborate closely with local municipality and county officials and other agencies that assist us in times of crisis. Our school resource officers play a vital role in creating a safe and secure environment by building positive relationships with students, staff, and the community, while also providing immediate response to potential safety issues. Each school, as well as the district, has a crisis response team comprising administrators, counselors, law enforcement, fire and medical emergency responders, and other key personnel ready to take action.
Emergency Operation Procedures, safe place diagrams, and fire escape plans are posted in every classroom. Staff receive annual training on reporting child abuse and neglect, Erin's Law for sexual abuse prevention, and Jason Flatt Act suicide prevention awareness.
If you ever have concerns about safety, please contact your school principal, the superintendent, or the school safety coordinator.
Mr. Barton Shannon
District Safety Coordinator
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